Homicide

Buckley was shot by his girlfriend at their Loveland-area home Feb. 12 during a fight that prosecutors eventually ruled justifiable homicide. Evans died Feb. 24 after being stabbed by his brother during a fight at his apartment in Fort Collins. And Ray Wimmer died Oct. 5 after his fiancee slashed his throat during a drunken fight in their Old Town Fort Collins home.

Vehicle crashes

With alcohol and drugs continuing to play a significant role in fatal motor-vehicle crashes, local police maintained a heavy emphasis on arresting impaired drivers in 2012. Police say impaired drivers pose a significant danger to others.

In 2011, impairment by drugs or alcohol played a role in 70 percent of fatal crashes in Larimer County. Toxicology testing for all the fatal crashes in 2012 is not yet available, but there’s nothing to suggest that trend has changed.

In 2012, 27 people were killed in motor-vehicle crashes in Larimer County.

Suicide

Larimer County again set a record for annual suicide deaths in 2012. Last year, 67 people died by their own hand.

Larimer County, and Colorado in general, has a significantly higher suicide rate per capita than most other parts of the country. Experts say a lack of willingness to get mental health care seems to play a significant role in that high number of deaths, pointing out that people who receive mental health treatment are less likely to die by suicide.